Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy among People Living with HIV in Nepal

Introduction. Patient’s knowledge and attitude towards their treatment avert stereotypical misconceptions about the disease and its treatment, as well as aid in attaining optimal adherence. This study investigated the knowledge, attitude, practice, and adherence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) clien...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS research and treatment 2023-07, Vol.2023, p.7292115-14
Main Authors: Shrestha, Sweta, Chataut, Subodh, Kc, Badri, Acharya, Khagendra, Pradhan, Sait Kumar, Shrestha, Sunil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Attitudes
Care and treatment
Cross-sectional studies
Data collection
Drug therapy
Education
Highly active antiretroviral therapy
HIV
HIV (Viruses)
HIV patients
Human immunodeficiency virus
Knowledge
Patient compliance
Patients
Questionnaires
Sample size
Sociodemographics
Surveys
Validity
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Summary:Introduction. Patient’s knowledge and attitude towards their treatment avert stereotypical misconceptions about the disease and its treatment, as well as aid in attaining optimal adherence. This study investigated the knowledge, attitude, practice, and adherence of antiretroviral therapy (ART) clients in Nepal. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 165 ART clients visiting five ART sites in the far western region and the capital city of Nepal. The convenience sampling method was employed, and the data were collected through interviews with ART clients using a validated questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used to identify associated factors. Result. Approximately 80.7% had adequate knowledge and 55% had a positive attitude towards ART. Stigmatization was associated with ARV by only 4.2%. Half of the participants (50.3%) revealed that they had surreptitiously stored their ART medication, diverging from the recommended storage guidelines. A significant proportion of respondents (33.3%) chose to repackage the medication as a strategy to prevent unintended disclosure of their HIV status. Many (59.3%) believed that ART does not prolong life. Nevertheless, they advocated the regular use of ART rather than taking it only when the health deteriorates (81.8%). The majority (97.6%) were found to be adherent to their ART. There was a significant association of age with a level of knowledge and attitude (p
ISSN:2090-1240
2090-1259
DOI:10.1155/2023/7292115